


These Words of My Heart

by kingstqrk



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, and all the fake dating tropes that we love, but i promise lot's of merthur fluff, with just a pinch of some angst and drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-03 22:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15828054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingstqrk/pseuds/kingstqrk
Summary: Merlin has written five letters that no one can ever see, addressed to each boy he has loved before. Unfortunately, they somehow all get sent out, and it couldn't come at a worse time. The reason? One of the letters is addressed to Lance, who his best friend Gwen has just broken up with.To convince everyone he doesn't have feelings for Lance, he ends up pretending to date Arthur Pendragon, the most popular guy in school and another recipient of one of his letters. But what happens when the charade becomes too convincing even for Merlin?A multi-chapter Merthur AU based on To All The Boys I've Loved Before.





	1. Beginnings and Breakups

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is my first Merthur fic and first fic for the Merlin fandom in general, so I'm quite nervous to share. But I've been wanting to write a Merthur AU for ages, and then I watched To All The Boys I've Loved Before and couldn't help myself. So I hope you like this!
> 
> Some notes on the story: it's based on To All The Boys, but it won't be an exact translation. Things will change, but the basic idea and template is from there. Also, to my shame I've not read the book yet, so all my knowledge is based on the movie.

When two of your closest friends, who happen to be going out, break up, it’s always an awkward affair. It’s even worse when you happen to have a slight crush on one of said friends, a crush that no one can ever find about.

It turned out, on that particular Thursday, this awkward hypothetical scenario became Merlin’s reality. It had started off like a normal day, Merlin hanging out with Gwen and Lance. Really, they were the perfect couple. Lance doted on Gwen, and Merlin suspected Gwen was the kindest soul that ever existed. Between them, they had less flaws than Merlin’s oddly shaped ears alone.

Merlin wasn’t jealous, honestly. Okay, maybe the tiniest bit.

But he would never act on it, and he truly was immensely happy for the both of them. Gwen was one of his oldest friends, living next-door to him ever since they moved to Albion. Lance lived on the other side of Merlin, and the three of them had soon become tight-knit friends. Merlin had always had a bit of a crush on Lance, but he’d been thrilled when Gwen finally worked up the courage to ask Lance out and he’d said yes. The two of them deserved in each other in the best possible way.

Which is why when they went out for ice cream to celebrate Gwen paying her deposit for her year to Scotland, Merlin hadn’t suspected anything was wrong.

“Come on, at least try another flavour, Merlin,” Lance attempted.

“Nope,” Merlin said, shaking his head resolutely as they sat in the corner of the ice cream shop.

“You have the chocolate fudge ice cream every time,” Gwen reminded him gently.

“Because I don’t want to mess with perfection,” Merlin explained. “You enjoy your cherry sundae and passion-fruit delight or whatever it is, but I’m fine.”

Lance shook his head, though the look on his face was a mix of exasperation and amusement. “I’ll get you to try another flavour, you’ll see.”

Merlin looked to Gwen for help. “Gwen, please, you can’t leave. This is what I’m going to have to deal with for the next year.”

Gwen snorted. “I’ll be back at Christmas, Merlin.”

It took a second for that to register with both of them. “Christmas?” Lance asked. “I thought you were coming back before then.”

Gwen blushed slightly. “Well, actually, my Dad can’t afford the flight. So I’m just coming back for Christmas.”

“Did you have to choose Scotland?” Merlin sighed again.

“I can come visit you beforehand,” Lance suddenly said.

“What?” Gwen asked.

“I’ll visit you. It’s fine.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. The flights are expensive.”

“They’re not too bad if I book in advance. I want to be able to see you, Gwen. In fact, I’ll see if I can book a flight tonight!”

Gwen looked deeply uncomfortable. “Gwen, are you alright?” Merlin asked, slightly concerned.

Gwen turned to him. “Merlin, do you mind if you let me and Lance speak alone for a while?”

The dismissal stung a bit. Merlin knew when his best friends started dating that would mean they would want alone time, but feeling like the third wheel was a sensation he never quite got used to. “Uh, yeah, sure. I’ll see you guys at home.”

Merlin stood up and left the ice cream shop, wondering what Gwen and Lance were going to talk about.

****

Two hours later, there was a knock on Merlin’s door. It was Gwen, her face tear-stained. Merlin hugged her.

“What happened?”

“I broke up with Lance,” Gwen said tearfully. Merlin was too shocked for words, so he just pulled Gwen inside and closed the door behind her, leading her to his room.

“I just knew I had to,” Gwen managed to get out between wiping her eyes, as she lay in Merlin’s bed. “I’m going away—“

“For a year,” Merlin told her. “It’s only a one year program.”

“They give you the opportunity to apply to stay on longer,” Gwen confessed. “And I think I’m going to. It’s such a good program.”

Merlin felt cold. “So you’d be there for…”

“Up to four years. I’m sorry, Merlin, I should have told you but—“

“It’s okay,” Merlin said, hugging Gwen. “I understand.”

“And I knew I couldn’t string Lance along for that long, and he doesn’t understand why I applied in the first place, how is he going to understand me staying there for longer?”

“What if he’s willing to do long-distance?” Merlin asked.

“He deserves better than that. And I…I don’t know if I can do it, Merlin. I need to be with someone, to feel their affection…it’s just how I am, you know it is.”

“But you love him,” Merlin murmured.

“I know,” Gwen said miserably. “That’s what makes this so hard.”

And then Merlin had no words left, so he just hugged Gwen again and let her cry into his shoulder.

****

Gwen stayed for another hour, but eventually she returned to her own house next door. Merlin knew Lance was just a couple of doors down from her. He wondered how distraught he must be feeling.

Will wandered by Merlin’s ajar door sometime in the evening. Will wasn’t technically Merlin’s brother, but for all intents and purposes he was. He lived with Merlin and his mother while attending school, and had for the past four years now.

“Hey, mum’s coming back late so do you just want to get takeaway?” Merlin asked.

Will cracked a grin. “I was just about to ask you the same.”

Soon they were gorging on pizza while reruns of old sitcoms played on the TV. Halfway through one of his pepperoni slices, Will spoke up.

“So why did Gwen seem so upset?” he said, his words muffled through the pizza.

“She and Lance broke up.”

Will swallowed loudly, before raising his eyebrows in shock. “The golden couple? Who would have thought.”

Merlin just shrugged. Will seemed to sense his mind was elsewhere that night, as after dinner he claimed he had some work to do and went to his room, leaving Merlin to his thoughts.

Merlin went to his room, and opened his cupboard. Gingerly, he took the black box that had belong to his father off the top shelf, from where it lay almost hidden. He sat down on the floor, cross-legged, leaning against his bed, and opened it.

Inside were five letters. He took out the first one, the one addressed to Lance.

Every time Merlin had a crush so intense that it was all he could think about for a while, he wrote a letter. He’d started six years ago, and had written five letters so far.

One was to a boy he’d met at a school MUN conference he’d attended years ago. His name was Gilli and they’d got along like a house on fire. The next was addressed to a boy called Tristan, someone Merlin had met when he attended summer camp once. The third was to one of his fellow classmates, Gwaine Greene, who he’d once danced with at prom two years ago.

The fourth was to Arthur Pendragon, the most popular guy in school. Merlin’s interactions with Arthur were minimal, but three years ago they’d kissed in a hushed game of spin-the-bottle. Saying Arthur was attractive was like saying water was wet, but he was also famed for being a jerk sometimes, and he was going out with Sophia, who suffice to say was not Merlin’s favourite person.

The most recent one to Lance was Merlin’s biggest secret. If Gwen ever found out about his crush, he don’t know what she’d think of him. The truth was, Merlin was truly sorry they’d broken up. He would never try anything with Lance. He’d hoped writing the letter would soothe his feelings, and in a way they had…but not enough.

Merlin sighed in frustration. He stuffed the letter back into the box, thinking about stupid Lance with his charming smile and wonderful personality, and he even felt anger at sweet Gwen for being too good a friend that he was willing to risk losing, and for breaking things off with Lancelot.

Merlin kicked the box back into his cupboard, before climbing into his bed, wishing he could forget about his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! That was just a short introductory chapter to lay the scene. Next chapter will start school, and I promise that Arthur will actually be in the chapter... I hope to post that tomorrow! I'm looking forward to the Merthur :)
> 
> Like I said, this is my first Merlin fic, and I'm still getting a grasp on the characters and this story itself. Please, please, please let me know what you think and any feedback you have, I'd love to know what you guys think!!!


	2. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin starts school, and he is unaware of something big happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for the response to the last chapter :) As promised here is the next one, and we finally get some Arthur!

Gwen left for Scotland on a rainy day next week. There were tearful hugs involved, and Merlin went to bed that night with a heavy heart. Gwen was one of his closest friends, and he’d miss her this upcoming year.

School started soon after. He saw Lance a few times, and each time it was awkward. Merlin had been Gwen’s friend before Lance’s, and Lance didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic to speak to him. That hurt a little, but Merlin made do with a tentative wave and brief looks as they saw each other on the street.

In fact it was a relief when school finally started, which is something Merlin thought he’d never say. Will was in the class below him, and so as the morning bell rang he left to go find his homeroom. Which left Merlin walking to his locker, and just his luck he managed to mess up.

It was an accident, it honestly was. He wasn’t going to pretend to be a fan of Sophia Sidhe, but he hadn’t intended to trip on his shoelace, bump into her, and spill her coffee all over the floor.

“You idiot,” Sophia shrieked, whirling round and glaring at him. Merlin tried not to shrink under her gaze.

“I’m so sorry,” Merlin said quickly. “It was an accident. Here, I’ll get you a new coffee.”

“I don’t want a new coffee,” she scowled. “Do you know what you’ve done? These clothes are brand new!”

“But none spilled on your clothes,” Merlin pointed out.

“So? That’s not the point!”

Sophia’s ranting was cut off by another voice. “Oh, calm down, Sophia, no harm was done. No need to over-react.”

Merlin felt an arm sling around his shoulders, and he turned to smile thankfully at Morgana. Morgana Pendragon was in theory way too popular to be friends with someone quiet like Merlin, yet that was just the way it was. Her black hair fell past her shoulders, and her cool gaze was chilly as it settled on Sophia.

Of course, Sophia had quite a glare herself, and right now it was settled on Morgana. She pulled on a strand of her glossy brown hair. “Listen, Morgana, I know Merlin here is your little pet charity project, but this doesn’t really concern you.”

Morgana took a breath, and Merlin sensed she was getting riled up. Before the situation was escalated by Morgana lashing back, another person approached.

“What’s going on here?” a deep voice asked. The voice happened to belong to none other than Arthur Pendragon: Morgana’s cousin, Sophia’s boyfriend, and the recipient of one the letters buried in Merlin’s room.

Arthur’s gaze lingered on Merlin for little over a second, his blue eyes intense. He was dressed in a blue football jacket and dark jeans, his golden hair slightly tousled. As captain of the football team and star student, Arthur was practically the school’s celebrity. As their eyes met, Merlin wondered if he was thinking about the kiss they’d shared a few years ago. He doubted it somehow.

It had been at one of the few parties Merlin had attended. There had been a game of spin-the-bottle, and Arthur’s had landed on Merlin. A few others (Sophia especially) had argued Arthur didn’t need to do it as Merlin was a guy, and that he could spin again, but Arthur had just shrugged and pulled Merlin in for a kiss. They’d never talked about it since, but Merlin remembered it.

“Nothing you have to worry about,” Sophia said, before spinning around and kissing Arthur hard. Arthur responded with enthusiasm. Morgana mimed gagging.

As they broke apart, Sophia turned back to Merlin and smirked. “Well, you little bug,” she said nastily as Merlin tried to restrain his anger, “I’m not wasting anymore time on you. I’m going to go find Vivian.” And she flounced off without even a second glance at her boyfriend.

“Ugh,” Morgana said in disgust as she walked off.

“Sorry about that,” Arthur said awkwardly. “She’s not a morning person.”

“She’s barely a person,” Morgana said. “More like a demon in disguise. Come on Merlin, let’s leave my cousin alone.” And Morgana pulled Merlin by the hand. Merlin glanced back, but Arthur had already turned away.

****

The rest of the school day went fairly smoothly, apart from at lunch when Morgana was nowhere to be found and Merlin didn’t know where to sit. So he left the cafeteria and went to the school fields, looking for a quiet spot where he might read some of his book.

It was by accident that he saw Lance, sitting in the shade of the tree that he, Merlin and Gwen used to hang out at all the time. Merlin considered walking away before Lance saw him, before building up his courage and approaching Lance, who was writing stuff down in a workbook.

“Can I join you?” Merlin called out. Lance looked up in surprise. At first Merlin thought he might say no, but then a small smile broke out on his face.

“Do you even have to ask?”

Merlin grinned and sat down with Lance. “How’s school going?”

“A bit weird,” Lance admitted. “It feels different this year?”

“Without Gwen?” Merlin immediately regretted mentioning that, as Lance’s face darkened. “I’m sorry.”

“No. It’s fine, I just…”

“How have you been since…” Merlin trailed off. “I’m sorry, I should have checked up on you. I’ve not been a good friend. I just didn’t know what to say.”

“It’s okay, Merlin,” Lance said sincerely. “What happened with Gwen and I…I’d hate if that affected our friendship.”

“Oh, please,” Merlin said. “Who would go get chocolate fudge ice cream with me if we weren’t friends? I need you.”

Lance just laughed, and it felt like a sliver of normality returned to Merlin’s life.

****

Merlin’s good mood at reuniting with Lance soon evaporated when he ended up spending forty-five minutes waiting for Will in his car. He was half-tempted to just drive home and let Will walk, when he finally slipped into his car.

“Where have you been?” Merlin asked angrily. “I’ve been waiting for ages.”

“Sorry,” Will shrugged. “I was talking with some girl.”

“Talking?” Merlin asked.

“May have been some kissing involved,” Will said smugly.

“And you thought you’d just make me wait?”

“Hey, I know you like guys instead, but I thought you’d understand.”

Rather than responding, Merlin decided he’d spent enough time in this parking lot. He reversed out, and barely stopped in time when he saw a blur in the mirror. The car shuddered to a halt.

The blur in the mirror soon materialised into a person, and Merlin bit back a groan when he saw it was Arthur Pendragon. Arthur moved round to the front window.

“Uh, hello?” Arthur asked, looking at Merlin as if he was crazy.

“Hi?” Merlin said weakly. Arthur was wearing his football shirt, his hair scruffy as if he had just come from practise. “Look, sorry about that.”

“You know, usually when people reverse, they look out of the mirror _first_ ,” Arthur said sarcastically. Merlin glared at him.

“I know. I was getting to it.”

“Right,” Arthur said slowly. “Well, if you’re sure you can get back to your house without running someone over…?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but thanks for your concern,” Merlin said tightly.

Arthur just shot him a weird look, before moving away. Will burst out laughing. Merlin shot him a dirty look, before moving out of the parking lot, making sure to check the mirror first.

****

“So boys, how was your first day at school?” Hunith asked Merlin and Will as they sat down for dinner.

“Pretty good,” Will responded. “Although I could do without the homework.” Hunith smiled. “How was your day at work, Hunith?”

“Pretty tiring, but at least I got back in time to make dinner for you guys,” she said cheerfully. Merlin’s mother was a nurse, and despite her erratic working hours she constantly maintained a good spirit. Ever since Merlin’s dad had died Hunith had been the sole provider, and Merlin was immensely grateful for everything she did for them.

“The food’s great, mum,” Merlin said, his mouth full.

“The way you’re shovelling it down, I can see that,” Hunith scolded, but her tone was fond. “Merlin, you didn’t say how your day was?”

Merlin just shrugged. “Not bad.”

Will smirked. “He’s still upset that he had to wait for me afterwards.”

“Am not,” Merlin protested.

“Why did you have to wait?” Hunith asked, confused.

“Because Will was being selfish,” Merlin said. (Okay, maybe he was still a bit annoyed.)

“You’re just jealous—“ Will started, but Hunith stopped him.

“Boys, boys, none of this. Let’s just eat, shall we?”

The rest of dinner proceeded fairly smoothly, and soon enough Merlin was laughing again as Will told a story about an encounter with his angry teacher. Merlin never seemed to be able to stay angry for long in this house, not that he really minded.

After they had finished swapping stories from the day, Hunith excused herself to go finish her paperwork. Merlin offered to clean the dishes in an attempt to show Will he wasn’t angry anymore. Will smiled.

“Thanks, Merlin. You know, I am sorry I made you wait.”

“’S’okay. Just don’t do it again,” Merlin added. Will nodded, and was about to go upstairs, before he paused.

“You weren’t jealous, right? About the fact that I—“

“Ew, of course not,” Merlin said immediately.

“I don’t mean of me. I just mean—look, don’t you want a relationship? I’ve heard there’s a senior party this weekend, why don’t you go?”

“No, thanks, I was planning a Lord of the Rings marathon this weekend.”

Will gave an exasperated sigh. “But you might meet someone? Isn’t that what you read about in your romance novels?”

“They’re not romance novels, they’re novels with romance in it,” Merlin defended. Will just rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, sure. Anyway, you read about it…why not, you know, actually try it?”

“Trust me, Will, it’s better in the stories,” Merlin said firmly. “Look at Lance and Gwen. The last thing I need in my life is a relationship.”

Will looked like he was about to argue, but thankfully he just shrugged and then retreated upstairs. Merlin continued washing the dishes, humming to himself, and when he was done he decided to put the TV on for a bit. Soon enough he was falling asleep to a re-run of Jurassic Park, and decided to retire for the night.

He was so tired that he just dived into bed, setting his alarm and turning the light off. He didn’t open his cupboard, nor did he check the black box inside. If he did, he might have found that all the letters he had written inside were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! The plot really kicks into gear from the next chapter, which has even more Arthur. I've written a lot of it and I'm pretty happy with it so far, hopefully it should be posted tomorrow if not sooner! 
> 
> I live for feedback so please let me know what you think <3


	3. Lives are Ruined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The letters are sent out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that for the day's delay in getting this chapter up, I ended up being unexpectedly busy. But it's here now, and I hope you enjoy it!

For the next day and a half of school, Merlin had no idea that anything was wrong. He had a rather surprisingly pleasant time, with no run-ins with Sophia for starters. It was only at lunch-time on Wednesday that things started to go downhill.

Merlin was sitting with Morgana by the tree in the school fields that he liked to go to. They were snacking on some crisps as Morgana told stories.

“So you know Sophia dumped Arthur?” Morgana said as she crunched on a crisp.

Merlin’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it, everyone’s been talking.”

“You know me, I’m at the bottom of the grapevine. Anyway, why would she dump him? And so soon into the school year?”

Morgana just shrugged. “I don’t know, Arthur told me she said she wanted to move on to college guys. Between you and me, he seemed pretty cut up about it. Even I feel sorry for him, though I’m so glad he’s no longer with Sophia.” Morgana lived with Arthur and his father, Uther, who as Morgana’s uncle was the closest living relative she had.

“Speak of the devil,” Merlin said quietly, because sure enough, Arthur Pendragon was walking across the field. If Merlin didn’t know any better, he would’ve sworn he was walking towards _them_.

And yet he was. Arthur approached them, as Morgana called out to him. “How come you’ve stumbled on these backwaters of the school, Arthur? Looking for a private place to mourn your relationship?”

“Shut up, Morgana,” Arthur said, with no real heat in it. Like Merlin, he was probably used to Morgana’s sharp comments by now. “Actually, I was looking for Merlin.”

“For me?” Merlin stuttered, taken aback.

“Yeah, I was hoping to talk to you. _Alone_ ,” he said pointedly, looking at Morgana, who smirked.

“Fine by me. I was going to go complain to Ms. Applet that I don’t get to dye my hair during the year anyway.” Morgana walked off, winking at Merlin before she did.

“What did you want?” Merlin asked politely. Arthur scratched the back of his neck, in a way that made his biceps rather prominent. Merlin averted his eyes.

“Uh, well, actually, I just wanted to say, while I’m flattered, it’s never going to happen, I’m sorry.”

“What?” Merlin asked, completely lost.

And then Arthur raised his other hand slightly, pulling something out of his pocket as he did. It was a letter…and in horror, Merlin realised the writing on the back was familiar. His heart started beating wildly.

“From what I remember of that kiss, it was nice, but I just got out of a relationship anyway, and you and I haven’t really—are you okay?”

Merlin had slumped back on the tree. He may have even passed out for a second. Arthur knelt by him in concern. “Merlin?”

“This is a bad dream,” Merlin said, blinking several times. Arthur’s warm hand was on his arm, his eyes filled with concern.

“Listen, if you’re okay—“

Arthur continued to speak, but Merlin zoned him out. Across the field, he saw Lance working towards them…a letter in his hand.

Merlin started to panic, his heart hammering against his chest. Lance had the letter. Arthur had the letter. Lance would think he had a crush on him. Gwen would find out. Gwen would hate him. Not to mention Merlin’s social life would be otherwise ruined by the fact these letters were out.

Arthur was still talking, and that’s when Merlin made the rashest decision he had probably ever made. He turned round, grabbed Arthur’s shirt, and kissed him hard and quick.

Arthur was still at first, Merlin’s hand splayed against his chest. In retrospect, Merlin considered the kiss was quite nice, but at the time he was far too traumatised to enjoy it. He could’ve sworn that after half a second Arthur actually seemed to respond, but Merlin pulled away too quickly to be sure.

“What the—“ Arthur said, his eyes confused. At least he didn’t look like he was about to punch Merlin.

Without another word, nor a backwards glance at Lance (who had stopped in his tracks upon seeing the kiss), Merlin ran behind the tree and out of sight.

****

Through a combination of lurking in empty classrooms, only attending classes where he knew he wouldn’t see either Lance or Arthur, and hiding in the toilet for the rest, Merlin managed to survive the rest of the day without bumping into them.

He did, however, bump into Gwaine Greene, one of the boys Merlin had written a letter to. Gwaine had dark hair that flopped over his eyes and a cheeky grin that made him more attractive. Merlin had danced with him at prom, and soon after ended up writing a letter.

Merlin froze when he saw Gwaine in the toilet. Gwaine smiled at him. “Hey, Merlin. I got a nice letter this morning.”

Merlin groaned. “Listen, I’m so sorry, the letter wasn’t meant to be sent out. I wrote it ages ago for myself, when I had a crush on you.”

Gwaine just chuckled. “Prom two years ago, right?” Merlin nodded. “Hey, that was a good night. I got to say though, I’m not really looking for a relationship. I’m more of a casual thing kind of guy.”

“I understand,” Merlin said quickly, “I’m not looking for anything—with you—not like that. I just mean, not that it would be bad, but I wasn’t expecting—“

Gwaine saved Merlin from his rambling. “Gotcha. Well I’m glad that’s cleared. It was nice to receive the letter, you know.”

The bell rang, which was Merlin’s cue to leave school as quick as he could. “I’m sorry, Gwaine, I have to go.”

Gwaine just smiled. “I’ll see you around, Merlin.”

Merlin bolted to his car, and thankfully Will was there on time. Without wasting any time on conversation, Merlin was pulling out of the parking lot and driving home at top-notch speed.

“Jeez,” Will muttered, “I swear your driving’s getting worse.”

The moment Merlin had parked outside his house, he ran inside and raced upstairs. He heard Will vaguely asking what he was doing, but he was in his room before he could answer, tearing open his cupboard. His black box was still there.

Merlin slowed as he reached for it, his heart pounding. Carefully, he lifted the lid.

It was empty. All the letters were gone.

****

The next hour was a haze of Merlin sitting on the floor thinking about how his life could never return to normal now. He even spent twenty minutes ransacking his room, hoping not all of the letters had been sent and that he would find one. Not that it would matter much if he did: he already knew Lance had got his.

It was only a knock on the door that brought Merlin out of his thoughts. He jumped to the window, and sure enough, it was Lance.

Will popped his head around the door to Merlin’s room. “Are you gonna get it, or shall I?”

Merlin raced past him. “I need to leave. Tell him I’m not at home.”

“What?” Will asked, confused, but Merlin was already putting on his shoes. He made his way to the back of the house, and was opening the back door when he heard Will approach the front to let Lance in. Merlin slipped outside, shutting the door behind him just as he heard Will telling Lance to come in. Quietly he made his way around the house, until he reached the street and started to run.

He ended up going to _The Dragon’s House_ without even realising. It was a slightly worn-down café, but Merlin’s mother had been taking him there since forever. As he entered, he smiled at Gaius, the elderly man who owned the café.

“Merlin, my boy, it’s been too long since you’ve visited,” Gaius said sternly.

“I know, sorry, Gaius. Life’s just been a bit hectic.” Hectic was too nice a word, Merlin privately thought, but he didn’t share that.

“Shall I get you your usual choco-milkshake?” Gaius asked. Soon Merlin was sipping on his milkshake as he sat at the bar, feeling sorry for himself.

He was disturbed by his private thoughts when someone a few seats down spoke up. “That looks good.”

The voice sounded familiar, and when Merlin turned he nearly jumped out of his skin to see Arthur there.

“What the hell?” Merlin hissed. “What are you doing here? Are you a stalker?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Why would I stalk you?”

“So you just happen to come here?” Merlin asked defensively.

“Well, no, actually I was looking for you,” Arthur admitted. “I went to your house, your friend Will told me you’d probably be here.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Gaius approaching them. “Merlin, you’ve got a friend,” he said wryly. Merlin resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands in embarrassment. “Would you like anything?”

“Uh, that chocolate milkshake looks pretty good,” Arthur said. Gaius smiled and went to get it.

Merlin decided to bring Arthur’s focus back on more pressing matters. “You came all the way here to look for me?” He was taken aback.

“Yeah, because it didn’t seem like you understood what I was trying to say before. I mean sure, the letter is very flattering, but I just got out of a relationship, I’m not looking to date--“

“Yeah, you can stop talking, I understand,” Merlin said, eager to stop Arthur’s speech about why he could never be with Merlin before it reached full steam.

“Do you though?” Arthur asked doubtfully. “Because you didn’t get it before.”

“Yeah, I did,” Merlin said. “I never expected us to go out. That’s not what the letter was for.”

Before Arthur could respond, Gaius brought over his milkshake. Arthur took a small sip of it, and grinned. “This is nice,” he said. “And you kissed me,” he pointed out, “indicating you didn’t understand what I was saying.”

Merlin flushed slightly. “Oh please, it was barely a kiss. And I only did that because Lance was coming.”

“Lance?” Arthur looked confused. “What does he have to do with this?”

“My best friend, Gwen, she just broke up with him. But I’d written a letter for him too, and he got it somehow—“

“Why did you send them out?” Arthur asked, confused.

“I didn’t!” Merlin exclaimed. “I have no idea how they got sent out. I wrote them for me, no one else was meant to read them.”

“And you wrote one for Lance,” Arthur repeated slowly.

“Yeah, and if Gwen finds out…I had to make him think I’m not interested in him anymore, so I panicked, and I kissed you.”

“Wow,” Arthur said, sitting back. “Here I was thinking I was special, but in reality, it was just about Lance.”

“Yeah, don’t feel too special, I wrote five of those letters,” Merlin muttered.

Arthur’s eyes widened. “Five? And here I thought you were quiet.” Merlin rolled his eyes. “Well go on, who were they to?”

“As if I’m going to tell you,” Merlin scoffed.

Arthur smirked. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll just tell the rest of the school that I received a wonderfully heart-felt love letter—“

“Ok, ok fine,” Merlin said hastily, “I’ll tell you. Prat.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Prat? What does that even mean?” 

“It means, you know, that you’re prattish,” Merlin told him, gesturing vaguely.

Arthur gave a full laugh then, a surprisingly pleasant sound. The laugh came from his chest, and his eyes seemed to sparkle as he did it. “Okay, well I’m still waiting on those names.”

“Well, one to you, one to Lance, one to Gwaine—“

“Gwaine Greene?” Arthur asked. “He’s on my football team. So I’m not even the only jock you have a crush on. I’m feeling less special by the second.”

Merlin shrugged. “I danced with him at prom once. Anyway, the other two: a boy I met at MUN once, and another at summer camp.”

“And all those letters got sent?” Arthur asked, sounding rather amused.

“Yes, and it’s not funny! Now I have to figure out a way to get Lance to think I’m not in love with him, and Gwen can’t find about this, and you might tell the rest of the school and that’s going to be so embarrassing—“

“Hey, Merlin,” Arthur said, interrupting his rant. “I’m not going to tell anyone, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Really?” Merlin asked suspiciously.

“Yeah,” Arthur said, shrugging. “Although, trust me, it’s going to be hard to keep this story to myself. It’s rather hilarious.”

“Well, I’m glad that my life tumbling down around me is amusing to you,” Merlin snapped, standing up.

Arthur chuckled. “You’re a dramatic one, aren’t you?”

“Prat,” Merlin repeated. He made to leave, but Arthur stopped him.

“Hey, how are you getting home?” Arthur asked.

“Same way I came, I guess, walking. Why?”

****

In a bizarre turn of events, Merlin soon found himself being driven home by Arthur Pendragon. Just a few days ago, Merlin reflected, he’d never even had a proper conversation with the guy.

“You didn’t have to drive me,” Merlin told him.

Arthur shrugged. “I would’ve felt bad making you walk.”

“Well, thank you,” Merlin said sincerely, as Arthur pulled up outside his house. Arthur gave him a crooked smile in return. The sight was strangely endearing.

“Anything for my number one fan,” Arthur said, mirth in his voice. Merlin glared.

“And just like that, you’re a prat again.” Merlin unbuckled his seatbelt. Before he opened the door, Arthur called after him.

“Wait, Merlin. So what are you going to do about your situation with Lance?”

Merlin paused, considering. “I don’t know. I’ll just have to figure out a way to convince him I’m not in love with him.” With that, Merlin opened the door and left the car.

He had nearly reached the front-door of his house, when he felt a warm hand on his arm. He was spun round to face Arthur.

“Wait, I have an idea,” Arthur told him.

“What?” Merlin asked, confused.

“We could pretend to date.” Arthur said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. If Merlin had a drink in his mouth, he was pretty sure he would have done a spit-take.

“What?”

“Think about it, nothing’s going to convince Lance you’re over him more than having a new boyfriend.”

“Even if that did work, why would you do it? What do you gain?” Merlin asked.

Arthur smiled. “Well, actually, Sophia heard about that little kiss of ours. Someone else must have seen us, I don’t know. She was fuming. Maybe if she heard I was seeing someone new—and you especially, she doesn’t like you—then she’d want to get back with me.”

Merlin stared at Arthur. The setting sun reflected off his tousled blond hair, making it look like spun gold. “You’re crazy.” He turned around and walked to his house.

“Just think about it?” Arthur called out hopefully.

Merlin didn’t look back, nor did he respond to that. “Goodbye, Arthur. Thanks for the ride.” And then Merlin entered his house, closing the door behind him. He leaned back on it for a second, closing his eyes.

Today had probably been one of the strangest days of his life. He considered Arthur’s offer. A fake relationship? That was insane. It would never work. Settling the matter in his head, Merlin resolved to forget about it.

There was no _way_ he was going to pretend to date Arthur Pendragon. At least, that’s what he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you guys liked spending proper time with Arthur finally. I enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you guys like it too :)
> 
> I aim to get the next chapter up this weekend, I've got most of it written already. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think so far!


	4. Rules of the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin agrees to enter a fake relationship with Arthur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm here with another update :) Some notes I probably should have said before: 
> 
> This is set in the UK. I toyed with the idea of setting it in Canada like TATBILB, but I don't know enough about the Canadian system, and also the Merlin characters feel more natural in a British setting. So imagine their high-school is in south England. (This also means the football they play is European football, soccer for any of you Americans). 
> 
> Secondly, Arthur is bisexual, Merlin is gay, they're both out for the sake of this story. Most of the characters are also over 18 in their final year of school, with some exceptions (Gwen, Will etc). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Merlin liked to think he was level-headed; the kind of person who stayed calm in the face of difficult situations. Unfortunately, this particular morning seemed desperate to prove that belief wrong.

Will was waiting in the car, and Merlin had almost made it safely to his seat when Lance popped out of his house. “Merlin!” he called. For a second, Merlin considered ignoring it…but reluctantly he turned around.

“Hi, Lance,” he said stiffly, as Lance walked over the grass towards him.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you for ages,” Lance said.

“What do we need to talk about?” Merlin asked. Panic sirens were blaring in his head.

“I think you know,” Lance said softly. His black hair fell around his eyes softly, making him look good, which unfortunately did not help Merlin’s rational thinking.

“Look, Lance—“

“First the letter, and then I see you kissing Arthur Pendragon? Merlin, what’s going on?” Lance asked.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Merlin blurted out. It was one of those cases where his mind seemed to be behind his mouth, and he had spoken without thinking. He stifled a groan.

“Your boyfriend?” Lance asked. “Since when?”

“Since recent,” Merlin said. “Very recent.”

“But Merlin—“

“I’m sorry, Lance, I really have to go. I’ll see you around.” _Hopefully not_ , Merlin thought, before jumping into his car.

“What was that about?” Will asked.

“Nothing,” Merlin muttered. “Let’s just get to school.” And he pulled out of the driveway, leaving Lance standing by his house, looking lost.

****

When Merlin arrived at school, he made his way straight towards the football fields rather than his classroom. He had a feeling if he had a chance of finding Arthur anywhere, it would be here.

And sure enough, Arthur was at a morning football practise. Merlin slowed down as he approached the pitch, hovering near the bleachers. Arthur was focused as he played, kicking the ball with ferocity.

It was Gwaine who spotted Merlin first. “Hey, Merlin!” he greeted cheerfully. “What brings you here?”

Arthur looked up, surprise clear on his face to see Merlin there. “I came to speak to Arthur, actually,” Merlin said politely.

“Take a minute break, guys,” Arthur called out. The other players looked pretty relieved to get some rest. Arthur walked over to Merlin, running a hand through his blond hair as he did.

“Hey, what’s up?” Arthur asked, as he neared Merlin.

Merlin glanced around to ensure no one else was in earshot. “I’ll do it.”

Hope sparked in Arthur’s eyes. “You mean—“

“I’ll pretend to go out with you,” Merlin confirmed.

A grin spread on Arthur’s face. “Well, then…”

And Arthur stepped forward, put his hands on Merlin’s hips, and leaned forward. It happened so swiftly that Merlin didn’t even have time to process what was going on before Arthur’s lips were on his and they were kissing.

This was a proper kiss, unlike Merlin had had before. It was warm and Merlin’s brain might have melted slightly. Seconds felt like eternity, but soon Arthur stepped back. Merlin stood there, dazed. He heard a wolf-whistle in the background.

“Right, um…” What did Merlin want to say? “I’m going to class.”

Arthur just smirked. “I’ll find you at morning break so we can talk this through.”

Merlin just nodded, not trusting his voice. He turned around and walked off, hearing Arthur telling the others to get back to playing behind him.

****

Morning break found Merlin sitting at one of the picnic tables behind the sports building, Arthur opposite him. The sun was shining brilliantly, casting Arthur in golden light. Typically, Merlin was in the shadow of the building.

“So what made you come round?” Arthur asked.

Merlin just shrugged. “I ran into Lance, and I ended up saying you were my boyfriend.”

Arthur smiled, satisfied. “Well, I’m glad you saw the brilliance of my idea.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Please. It was an average idea at best.” Arthur just continued looking smug. “You know, I can actually see your head inflating by the second. And here I was thinking it was big enough to begin with.”

“Hey, that’s no way to speak to your boyfriend.”

Even though Merlin thought he knew what he signed up for, hearing Arthur call himself Merlin’s _boyfriend_ was a weird sensation. It felt distinctly artificial: Merlin’s first boyfriend and it wasn’t even real. A small part of Merlin, however, seemed to like the term boyfriend applying to Arthur. Merlin told that part of himself to shut up.

“That reminds me, we need to lay some ground rules,” Merlin said, taking his notebook out of his bag. He turned to a fresh page and wrote THE CONTRACT.

“Contract?”

“Yeah, a list of rules we both agree on as we do this,” Merlin explained. Arthur made a face.

“Or we can just wing it. Keep it natural. You know, like most relationships.”

“This isn’t like most relationships,” Merlin reminded him. “Anyway, for the first rule, I’m going to say no more kissing.”

“What?” Arthur said sharply. He sat up. “No one’s going to believe we’re going out if we can’t even kiss. That’s a terrible idea for a rule.”

Merlin glared at him. “I don’t want to do it.”

Arthur looked slightly offended. “Hey, I know for a fact I’m a good kisser, so—“

Merlin privately had to agree with him. “It’s not about you. It’s just…look, I’ve never had a relationship. I’ve never properly kissed a boyfriend. I don’t want all my firsts to be fake. I know it’s not as big a deal for you, but for me…”

Arthur stared at him for a second, before seeming to deflate. “I guess that makes sense.” Merlin was kind of surprised that Arthur gave in that easily. “But all my mates, they know that…did _stuff_ with Sophia,” Arthur said delicately.

“Yeah, everyone knows about the stuff you do with Sophia,” Merlin said, shuddering. It was Arthur’s turn to glare at him.

“All I’m saying is, how are people going to buy this relationship if I’ve suddenly become a monk to date you?”

“I’m not saying you can’t do romantic stuff. You can put your arm around me, we can hug—“

“We can hug? So we can do as much as most people do with their grandmothers?”

Merlin wrinkled his nose. “Look, we’ll figure something out. But I’m not budging on this.”

Arthur sighed. “Fine.” He paused, as if thinking. “I could write you notes,” he suggested. That caught Merlin off guard. Arthur Pendragon, writing him notes?

“Where did that come from?”

“Well, Sophia was always going on about how I should write her notes,” Arthur explained. “She said it made our love feel more genuine. I never got round to it. If she sees me doing it for you, she’ll be fuming.”

For a second, Merlin was almost disappointed that Arthur was thinking of Sophia when offering to write him notes. Then he reminded himself why they were doing this in the first place. _Arthur doesn’t care about you. He cares about Sophia_.

Merlin wrote down on his paper: _No kissing. Other forms of affection allowed. Arthur will write notes._ He looked up.

“Ok, any other rules?”

Arthur considered. “You have to go to parties with me. Everyone will expect that if I’m going out with you.”

Merlin frowned. “I’m not really a party type of person.” Merlin knew he would just feel left out if Arthur was dragging him to parties.

“Trust me, I can tell,” Arthur muttered. “Look, it will be fine. You just have to go for a bit. You might even find yourself enjoying it.” Somehow Merlin doubted that, but he wrote down _Parties_ on the piece of paper.

“Oh, we have to agree to not tell _anyone_ that this is fake. No one,” Merlin said firmly.

“Well, duh,” Arthur said as if it was obvious. “First rule of Fight Club.”

Merlin just shrugged at the reference. “I’ve never seen the movie.”

Merlin used to think people’s jaws dropping was just an expression, but nothing else described Arthur’s reaction then. “Okay, write down that we have to watch Fight Club. I can’t go out with someone who hasn’t seen that movie.”

“Not even fake go out?” Merlin questioned. Arthur shook his head resolutely.

“Trust me, you will thank me after you’ve watched it.” Merlin sighed, but he wrote it down.

“Anything else?”

“You have to go to the ski trip with me,” Arthur said.

The ski trip was an annual trip, and it had a reputation for people hooking up on it. Merlin, of course, had never been, nor did he particularly want to go. Naturally, Arthur had been with Sophia. Typically te kind of people who went on the ski trip were not the kind of people Merlin usually hung out with. “No,” he said, shaking his head.

“You have to,” Arthur protested. “No one in their right mind would let their boyfriend go on the ski trip without them.”

“The ski trip’s in December. What are the chances we’re pretending to date for that long?”

That gave Arthur pause. “Fine, if we’re still going out in December, then you have to come on the ski trip.”

Merlin considered it. He was confident this whole charade wouldn’t go on for three months. What would be the purpose? So with that in mind, he decided to agree to Arthur’s condition, and wrote it down.

“Now we just have to sign it,” Merlin said.

Arthur went first. His signature was much nicer-looking than Merlin’s plain one. As Merlin signed it, he felt tingly all over. Suddenly, this idea became a lot more real.

“Well, Merlin,” Arthur said, a smirk creeping across his face. Too late, Merlin wondered if he had made a huge mistake in agreeing to this. “We are officially going out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if that chapter felt a bit brief considering it was just one main scene between Merlin and Arthur, but I hope you liked it anyway!!
> 
> The next chapter will probably take a couple of days, but hopefully not too long. Once again, please let me know what you guys think in a comment. Any feedback is really what motivates me to continue writing, thanks to all who have been kind enough to leave a response so far <3


	5. The Public Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin has to face the school as Arthur's boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a few more days than intended since the last chapter! However, this chapter is the longest yet, so hopefully that sort of makes up for it?

Merlin got a text from Arthur the evening. They had exchanged numbers during school, but Merlin was still surprised to receive the text.

**_I’ll drop you to school tomorrow?_ **

Another text followed quickly.

**_To make it look believable._ **

Merlin supposed that made sense, so he sent a text back to Arthur in agreement. He went to Will’s room.

“We’ve got ride for tomorrow,” he told him.

Will’s eyes brightened. “Brilliant, I don’t have to suffer through your bloody awful driving.” Merlin rolled his eyes and left. Will didn’t even ask who was giving them a ride, which made it a shock when Arthur rolled up next morning in his Audi.

“Arthur Pendragon?” Will said in disbelief. “Arthur Pendragon’s giving us a lift?” Merlin just nodded.

“Come on, don’t just stand there gormlessly.” Merlin slid into the passenger seat of the car. Arthur smiled at him.

“Merlin,” he greeted him.

“Morning,” Merlin said, his tone not as cheerful. Truthfully, he was rather nervous for today. He didn’t know if he’d be able to pull of the fake relationship.

As if Arthur had read his mind, he said, “Ready for today?”

“What’s today?” Will asked, sitting in the back. Arthur turned slightly.

“Hi, you’re Will right? Merlin’s cousin?”

“I’m not his cousin,” Will said pointedly. “I’ve just lived with him because my parents work internationally. Anyway, what’s today?”

“Our first proper day at school as a couple,” Arthur told him. Merlin turned the dagger eyes on him. _I didn’t think we’d have to lie to our families_ , Merlin thought angrily.

Will’s eyes widened. “You’re going out?” Arthur nodded. “Since when? Merlin, you didn’t tell me any of this shit!”

“Must have forgot,” Merlin said, through gritted teeth. “Anyway, Arthur, are you going to start driving? Because otherwise we’re going to be late.”

“Yes, dear,” Arthur said teasingly. Will’s eyes looked like they were going to bulge out.

“Please never call me that again,” Merlin muttered. Arthur just winked, before changing gears and setting off.

****

Walking into school that morning was intimidating to say the least. Merlin had never felt so many eyes on him. He walked in holding hands with Arthur. His hand felt hot and clammy but he didn’t move it, knowing this was important to keeping up pretences.

At the end of the corridor, Merlin saw Sophia’s best friend, Vivian Olafe. She was goggling at the pair of them. _Well, at the very least Sophia will find out soon…_

Arthur walked Merlin to his locker, before leaning against the wall as Merlin opened it. “So this is the locker I’ll have to leave notes in?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Merlin said as he stuffed some books in his bag.

“No, I will. It’s in the contract anyway.” Arthur shrugged. He looked so at ease despite all the eyes on them. Merlin supposed he was used to it.

“This is weird. Everyone’s going to see right through me,” Merlin said quietly.

“Merlin, stop worrying,” Arthur commanded. Merlin noticed that Arthur had a distinct way of saying his name when exasperated, emphasising the first syllable. It was kind of endearing. “You’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Merlin said, trying to convince himself. “Okay, yeah. I’ll be fine.”

****

Yet despite what Arthur said, it was very much not fine. All throughout the day whispers seemed to follow Merlin around, including some not so pleasant comments.

_Are they really dating?_ One person asked. Another would say, _I have no idea why Arthur’s going out with someone like him_. _Arthur’s so hot, and Merlin’s so…_ Merlin tried to stop listening at that point.

Merlin was dreading lunch-time the most, because he knew Sophia and her friends would be in the cafeteria. He almost considered heading straight to the library when the lunch bell rang, but Arthur caught him outside his classroom.

“Merlin, there you are, I’ve been waiting.”

Merlin stared at him. “How did you know what class I had?”

Arthur shrugged. “I asked around. Anyway, come on, we need to go into the cafeteria together.” He seemed to catch the uncertain look on Merlin’s face. “Look, I’ll be right next to you, you’ll be fine.”

Swallowing his nerves, Merlin followed Arthur to the cafeteria. Arthur slipped an arm around his back. Merlin figured it was to keep up the loving couple act, but Arthur’s solid presence by his side was strangely reassuring.

Even the lunch ladies seemed to look at Merlin funny when they slopped food onto his tray. He wondered if they’d been keeping up with the school gossip, or they were just confused as to why someone like Arthur was with someone like him.

When Merlin turned around, tray in hand, he could see Sophia was staring at them from her lunch table. Her lip was curled in displeasure, Vivian muttering next to her, but as soon as she saw Merlin looking, she turned away. Arthur caught Merlin’s eyes, grinning.

“Let’s go find a table,” Merlin muttered. There was an empty one nearby, and he placed his tray down. Arthur followed him.

“This isn’t where I usually sit,” Arthur remarked. “Bold statement.”

“High school is so weird,” Merlin contemplated. “Sitting in a different place is considered a bold statement.”

Arthur shrugged. “That’s just the way it is.”

“Maybe for you.”

Arthur looked like he wanted to respond, but he bit his tongue. The awkwardness was saved by Arthur’s friends descending on them.

“Hey, Pendragon, found a new spot?” Percival, a hulking lad, asked. Arthur just smirked at Merlin, as if Percival’s comment proved his point.

Leon, another one of Arthur’s close friends, sat down on the table. “So, you two are an official thing?”

Merlin nodded. “Yeah, Arthur asked me out yesterday.”

“Arthur, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Leon said, shaking his head.

Arthur just shrugged. “Well, you know, it’s been pretty soon since Sophia.”

“Tell me about it,” Percival muttered. “She looks mad.” Merlin risked another glance at Sophia, and sure enough she still looked like she wanted to gut Merlin. _She’d probably be able to as well,_ Merlin thought glumly.

He was saved from having to continue conversation with Arthur’s friends by Morgana, who was striding towards their table. “Merlin Emrys, I swear—“

“Morgana,” Merlin said hastily. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”

Morgana had a glint in her eye. “You’re going out with Arthur? And you didn’t think to tell me?” She whirled round to Arthur. “And you? My dear cousin, you didn’t even think to tell me that this new boyfriend you mentioned was _Merlin_.”

Arthur put on an innocent face. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

Morgana rolled her eyes, before grabbing Merlin’s arm. “You’re coming with me. I want details, now.”

Merlin stood up, knowing better than to fight his best friend on this. “Wait,” Arthur said, “before you go…” He rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out a note. “Rather than leaving one in your locker, why don’t I just give it to you now?”

Merlin understood instantly. They were in plain sight of Sophia, who had turned slightly purple on seeing Arthur give Merlin a note. Merlin had to hand it to his fake-boyfriend: he knew how to make someone jealous.

Merlin fumbled open the note as Morgana pulled him away. All it said, in a messy scrawl, was:

_Well done, idiot, you’re doing great :)_

He let out a snort of laughter. Arthur had been surprisingly thoughtful about the whole thing, knowing what to do to help soothe Merlin’s nerves. It was strangely touching, even if he knew the note was just to infuriate Sophia.

Morgana pulled Merlin into an empty locker-room, off the main corridor. She looked at Merlin expectantly, an eyebrow raised.

“I wanted to tell you,” Merlin offered weakly.

“Why didn’t you?”

“It all happened so quickly,” Merlin said.

“Yeah, no kidding, he was with Sophia like two minutes ago! How did this even happen? It’s not that I’m surprised Arthur’s rebounded so quickly, the rest of the football players burn through relationships quick enough, so why not him? But you—you never even seemed to like Arthur!”

“I didn’t know him,” Merlin admitted, “but I always thought he was good-looking. And then this week I ran into him at _The Dragon Café_ and we just ended up talking for hours—and I was upset about Gwen leaving and he comforted me and then he asked me out and—and it sort of just happened and—“

“Ok, Merlin, breathe,” Morgana said, interrupting him. Luckily, her intense expression had faded. Merlin had tried to shape his lie around the truth as much as possible to make it easier to sell. “Well, obviously I’m thrilled that Arthur’s got his head out of his ass enough to try and go out with someone who’s a great human being, but…”

“But what?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

That took Merlin aback. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Sophia is Arthur’s ex. And trust me, she’s more than just a pretty face. She can be quite vicious.”

Merlin’s heart sunk slightly. “Yeah, I know.”

“I’m just saying, if this thing between you and Arthur is just a rebound fling—and you’re incurring the wrath of Sophia—look, I’m just worried for you, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.” Morgana’s concern was touching, but Merlin feared it came too late. He was in this now.

“Thanks, Morgana, but I’ll be fine.” Morgana looked doubtful, but she seemingly decided not to press it.

****

The weekend couldn’t come soon enough for Merlin. Friday evening found him collapsed on his bed, exhausted from having people whispering about him in school constantly, their eyes on him.

He was considering taking a nap when his phone started to buzz. It was a Facetime call from Gwen. He immediately responded.

“Hey Gwen!” he said as Gwen’s face appeared on his screen. She smiled at him.

“You sound tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?” Of course Gwen would be able to tell how Merlin was feeling instantly, even if she was hundreds of miles away.

“I’m fine. Just glad it’s the weekend. But enough about me, you’re the one in Scotland! What’s it like?”

The next five minutes consisted of Gwen chattering on about how she was loving St. Andrews, and how it was so pretty, and how Scottish pubs were _so_ much better than English pubs (“Traitor,” Merlin told her). Listening to his friend talk was the most relaxed Merlin had been all week, so he appreciated it.

That is, until the conversation turned back to Merlin. “But how have you been? How’s school?”

“School’s fine,” Merlin said, his throat slightly dry. Gwen looked nervous.

“And Lance?” she said timidly.

Merlin tried not to panic, but his hands felt hotter. “Oh, yeah, Lance is fine. I mean, not that I know, I’ve not really spoken to him. Not because anything’s happened—I mean the breakup happened, but nothing since.”

“Merlin, slow down, what are you on about? Has anything happened? Are you sure there’s nothing different in your life?”

In Merlin’s defence, he was terrified he would somehow let slip that he had written a love letter to Lance. Still, abruptly saying goodbye to Gwen (“Sorry, I have to go bake some cupcakes”) and then hanging up was probably not the best way to deal with the situation. Merlin glimpsed Gwen’s surprised expression, before he chucked his phone face down on his bed.

He decided there was no point trying to nap now, not when his mind was racing with all the possibilities of Gwen finding out the truth about what was going on and then hating him forever. To distract himself, he decided to help his mum bake some cupcakes she was bringing in tomorrow for a charity fair at her hospital.

Merlin had always found baking to be a strangely therapeutic activity. He wasn’t that handy in terms of cooking dinner, but he loved making cakes, breads and other treats. Hunith always claimed he was better than her, though his mum was pretty good herself.

“You know, dear, you don’t have to help me,” Hunith said, as Merlin carefully poured cupcake mixture into the moulds. “I’m sure you have better things to be doing.”

“It’s fine,” Merlin reassured her, “you know I enjoy this.”

“You could have gone with Will to watch that movie,” Hunith pointed out.

“He was watching it with his friends, why would I want to tag along to that?”

Hunith just laughed, then dropped it. “Well, okay, then. I’ve got to go up and take a call from another one of the nurses organising the fair, hopefully it won’t be too long.”

Merlin shrugged. “Sure, I’ll just continue doing this.” Hunith popped her apron off and went upstairs, leaving Merlin with his baking. Unfortunately, he was soon disturbed by the doorbell ringing.

Wondering who it was, Merlin dusted his hands off onto his apron, and went to open the door. Really, he shouldn’t have been surprised when it turned out to be Arthur there. Arthur seemed to be invading every aspect of Merlin’s life lately.

Yet he was, nonetheless, very surprised.

“Arthur? What are you doing here?” Arthur was dressed in dark jeans and a blue shirt, with a black leather jacket to top it all off. _He looks good_ , Merlin admitted.

Arthur took note of Merlin’s apron and stuck up hair. He started to laugh, before coughing to try and cover up his laugh. He failed miserably. “Nice apron,” he finally said.

“I was baking.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “It’s a Friday night.”

“So?” Merlin asked defensively.

“Look, can I come in?” Arthur asked. Sighing, Merlin stepped aside to let him inside. He supposed he couldn’t turn away his fake-boyfriend without even hearing him out.

He led Arthur into the kitchen. Arthur looked around. “Nice house,” he commented. Merlin just shrugged.

“What do you want, Arthur?”

“I’m picking you up for the party,” Arthur said, as if it was obvious. Merlin frowned. He did not remember signing up for any party.

“What party?”

“Leon’s hosting a back-to-school party, I sent you a text?”

Merlin groaned. “I left my phone upstairs, I’ve not checked it all evening. Sorry.”

Arthur just shrugged. “It’s not a problem, we’re not going to be too late. Just get changed and we’ll go.”

Merlin stared at him. “I’m not going. I’m baking right now. And I don’t want to go to a party.”

“You have to.”

“Why?”

“It’s in the contract,” Arthur reminded him smugly. “You are contractually obliged to come with me to this party, Merlin Emrys.”

Truth be told, Merlin had forgotten all about that particular clause. “I’m sorry, I can’t, I’m too busy right now. My mum has a charity fair tomorrow, I need to help her.”

As if on cue, Hunith came down the stairs. “Merlin, who is it?” She came down, starting when she saw Arthur. “Oh, hello.”

“Hi, Mrs Emrys,” Arthur said, putting on a charming smile.

“Mum, this is Arthur, from school,” Merlin said.

Hunith smiled widely. “Well, hello, Arthur! What brings you here?”

“Oh, well a friend of ours is holding a party, I was coming to pick Merlin up,” Arthur explained. “If that’s all right with you of course. I can drop him back, and he won’t be too late, I promise.” He smiled winningly. Merlin had to admit he was good.

Hunith beamed. “Well of course it’s okay with me.”

Merlin narrowed his eyes. “But, mum, I have to help you with these cupcakes.”

Hunith waved her hand. “Oh, please, Merlin, I can handle this myself. You go have fun with Arthur at this party.” Arthur flashed a triumphant smirk at Merlin, who internally groaned. “Go on, go get changed Merlin, you can’t go to a party in an apron.”

Reluctantly, Merlin took off his apron and went upstairs, annoyed that Hunith had taken his excuse away. As he left, he heard Arthur asking about Hunith’s charity fair. _Typical…of course he’s the charming boyfriend that the family loves_.

He came down ten minutes later, having changed into what he deemed suitable party-gear (jeans and a button-down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up), and giving up on attempts to comb his hair. Arthur turned to him as he came down.

“Let’s go, then,” Merlin said shortly. Hunith rolled her eyes as she came up to him to try and straighten his hair.

“Cheer up, Merlin, you’ll have fun. Plus, Arthur’s wonderful,” she enthused. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend, and such a handsome one at that.”

“Mum!” Merlin said, embarrassed. Thankfully Arthur was looking at some family pictures. Merlin hoped he hadn’t heard.

Hunith just chuckled. “Well, you can tell me all about it later. Have fun tonight.” She turned to Arthur. “You can go now. Remember what I warned you, though,” she said, almost teasingly. A faint blush appeared on Arthur’s cheeks, but he nodded.

“What did she warn you?” Merlin asked as they left the house and walked towards Arthur’s car.

“Oh, you know, no drinking and driving, no drugs…don’t get too handsy.” Now Merlin understood Arthur’s earlier embarrassment, and it was his turn to blush.

“I’m sorry about my mum,” he began, but Arthur cut him off.

“Don’t be, she’s brilliant,” Arthur said sincerely. “Plus, I think she likes me.”

“She does,” Merlin confirmed regretfully. Arthur beamed. He opened the passenger car door for Merlin.

“Cheer up, Merlin, it’s just a party,” Arthur said lightly, upon seeing the look on Merlin’s face.

_Just a party_ , Merlin thought sourly. He already knew this evening was going to go terribly, yet he got into the car all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The party will be the next chapter. And I'm very excited for it! Hopefully it won't be too long till I post :) 
> 
> Comments always motivate me to write. Thanks to all those who have commented! Please let me know what y'all think of the story and anything more you want from it<3


	6. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a bit of a wait since the last chapter. Hopefully you enjoy the party :)

The drive was fairly short, but Merlin spent it in nervous anticipation. Arthur rolled his eyes.

“You’re acting like you’ve never been to a party before,” he said with a slight frown.

“I’m just not a party person,” Merlin protested. “They’re never as fun as they’re meant to be. I prefer a cosy night in.”

“It looks like you get enough of those,” his fake boyfriend muttered. Merlin responded with a glare. “Look, I promise you’ll enjoy this one,” Arthur relented. “Just go in with an open mind. Promise?”

Merlin sighed slightly. “Okay. Fine.” Arthur smiled widely, an annoyingly endearing expression.

“Besides, it’s best you get used to them,” he added, “I’m sure there’ll be quite a few more this term. And you have to come to them.”

“Prat,” Merlin muttered, but he didn’t really mean it.

“You know, for someone who’s so clever, you seem to rely on that one word a lot,” Arthur noted, an amused expression on his face as he drove.

“Only because it suits you so well,” said Merlin defensively. “You’re like the King of Prats.”

“I’m a King, am I?” Arthur asked smugly. Merlin just rolled his eyes. _Trust Arthur to only take that from what I said._

As he spoke with Arthur, his nerves were forgotten. They returned in full force when they arrived at Leon’s house a few minutes later. They got out of the car. There was a sign indicating for them to go around the back of the house to the garden. Merlin was about to follow it, when Arthur pulled him back by the wrist.

“Merlin, wait,” he said. “What’s that on your shirt pocket?”

His shirt had a small breast pocket. It was one of his favourite shirts, and attached to the pocket was a small pin. It was a metallic silver colour, and in the shape of a tiny dragon. It was no bigger than a fingernail. “It’s just a pin,” Merlin responded.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Why’s it there?”

“I put it there.”

“Why?”

Merlin just looked at him stubbornly. Arthur sighed, and deftly unpinned it from his shirt. “It looks weird.”

“Hey!” Merlin said angrily. “Give it back.”

“I’ll give it to you after the party. Why are you wearing a pin anyway? You’re not part of some cult, are you?”

Merlin huffed. “It’s a good luck charm. It was my Dad’s. I put it in there for tonight.”

Arthur’s eyes softened slightly. “Look, I’ll give it back if you want. But I promise I’ll look after it till after the party.”

“Oh, fine,” Merlin said, giving in. “But if I get lots of bad luck, I’m blaming you.”

“It’s fine,” Arthur said, putting his arm around Merlin’s waist. “I’ll be your good luck charm tonight.”

Merlin willed the faint blush on his cheeks to go away. He glanced at Arthur’s arm around him. “What are you doing?”

“They’re expecting a couple in there, remember?” Arthur said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Oh, that reminds me, pass your phone.” Merlin stared at him. “Do you trust me or not?” Arthur asked impatiently.

“Not,” Merlin said resolutely, but his actions betrayed his words, for he handed Arthur his phone. Arthur took a selfie of himself, as he pouted a little. He looked annoyingly good. “What are you doing?”

“Making me your lock screen,” Arthur said as if it was obvious. Which Merlin supposed it probably was.

“Well, are you going to make me yours?” Merlin wondered if Arthur would really be willing to go around with _Merlin_ , of all people, as his lock screen. It was a rather public announcement to the world.

Arthur just scoffed. “Mate, come on, you know I’ve already done it.” He took out his phone, and sure enough a selfie Merlin had taken a while ago on Arthur’s phone was his lock screen. Merlin hadn’t realised that’s why Arthur had wanted the selfie. A faint tingle went down his body as he saw the lock screen. “Okay, ready to go in?”

Merlin took a deep breath and nodded.

As they walked round the back of the house, the music became louder. Soon lots of people came into sight. Arthur tightened his arm around Merlin’s waist, as they walked up to a group of people playing beer pong. Merlin recognised Leon with his auburn hair.

“Arthur!” Leon said upon seeing him, his eyes lighting up. “You’re finally here.”

“Nice new place, mate,” Arthur said, impressed. Merlin had to agree with him. The garden itself was vast and expansive, lit with lanterns. There was a huge outdoor swimming pool, which some people were sitting at the side of and even swimming in. Glass doors opened the way to the interior of the house, where a spacious living room revealed itself.

Leon cocked his head as he threw the ball. It landed in his opponent’s cup and he grinned. “Well it’s my parents’ place, but sure, I’ll take the credit. Hey, you want to play? I need a real challenge.”

Arthur smirked. “Maybe later. I’m sure I’ll have to teach Merlin the rules of the game.”

“I know how to play,” Merlin protested (even though he didn’t, but that was an unimportant technicality).

“Oh, hey Merlin,” Leon said, only just properly seeing him. “Glad you made it, I was wondering if you’d come.”

“Anyway, I’m going to get some drinks,” Arthur said, his hand withdrawing from Merlin’s waist. “You want one?” he asked Merlin. Merlin shrugged his assent. “I’ll find you.” And then Arthur walked off, people greeting him as he went.

Leon looked at Merlin. “Are you sure you don’t want to play?”

“I’m fine for now, I think.”

“Right,” Leon said awkwardly. “Well…there’s some food inside, if you want.”

Merlin took the chance to go to another place eagerly. He didn’t really know what to talk about with Leon, and he _was_ kind of hungry. Unfortunately, as he walked inside, someone called his name.

“Merlin!” a smooth voice said. “Merlin, over here!” Merlin turned to see Vivian calling him, from where she was sitting on a cream sofa next to Sophia.

Merlin knew why they wanted to talk to him, and while he racked his brain for an excuse to ignore them he came up with nothing. So, reluctantly, he went over and sat down with them.

“Hi,” he said simply, trying to muster some enthusiasm in his voice. Vivian looked like she had caught her prey. Sophia refused to directly look at him, instead fingering the edge of her red cup.

“So, go on,” Vivian said, smiling widely. Her blonde hair curled down past her neck.

“Go on, what?” Merlin asked blankly.

“What’s the deal with you and Pendragon?” Vivian demanded.

“Oh, uh…” Merlin flushed as he tried to figure out what exactly to say. “Well we met each other at a café, and we started reconnecting—”

“Reconnecting?” Vivian interrupted.

“Yeah well we used to know each other better, and then he asked me out and—”

“Okay, yeah, but what have you done?” Vivian asked suggestively. “Like, how far have you gone?”

Merlin’s mind drew a blank, but Sophia spoke for him. “Oh, lay off him, Vivian, he’s going back into his shell.” Sophia’s tone was sweet but her words stung. “He’s not used to parties. Besides, he’s not done anything with Arthur.”

“And how would you know that, Sophia?” Merlin asked coolly.

“Because I know Arthur,” Sophia said flatly, “and I know what you’re like, Merlin.” Merlin had no response to that. Sophia stood up.

“Enjoy the party, Merlin,” Sophia said in a tone belying her words. “I would offer to get you a drink, but I don’t know if Leon has chocolate milk.”

“Oh, thanks, but Arthur’s getting me a drink,” Merlin responded politely. Sophia’s face darkened. As if on cue, Merlin saw Arthur approaching him, two drinks in his hand.

“Hey, Merlin,” he said, as he came to the sofa. Sophia’s eyes flashed before she turned around and marched off, Vivian at her heels. Arthur slid onto the sofa and handed Merlin a drink.

“What was that about?” Arthur asked, as he watched Sophia leave.

“She just wanted to know about me and you,” Merlin said, as he took a sip of his drink. He wrinkled his nose at the taste. Arthur rolled his eyes, but the gesture was almost fond. “Why do people drink beer, it tastes gross,” Merlin complained. “What are you drinking?”

“Pepsi,” Arthur said, shrugging. Upon Merlin’s look, he explained, “I’m driving, remember?” Before Merlin could respond, Arthur took out his phone. “Here, let’s take a selfie, Sophia will hate that.”

Merlin complied as Arthur took a picture of them on the sofa, looking every inch a couple as Merlin cosied up to him.

“Enjoying the party?” Arthur asked, as he put his phone away.

“Well apart from you the only people I’ve really spoken to are Sophia and Vivian, so…” Merlin trailed off.

“And Leon,” Arthur pointed out. “You spoke to Leon.” Merlin just pushed him lightly, and Arthur laughed, his Adam’s apple prominent. “Come on then, let’s go have some fun.” He stood up and extended his hand. Merlin hesitated for a second, before taking it.

****

The next few hours passed fairly quickly. Arthur introduced Merlin properly to some of his friends; people Merlin had seen and co-existed with for the past few years but never really interacted with. Most of them were nicer than Merlin would have expected, smiling widely and including him in conversation.

At some point though, between getting some food and going to the bathroom and getting caught in conversation, Merlin lost sight of Arthur. Feeling slightly adrift, having been at Arthur’s side for the duration of the party, he wandered back inside from his position by the pool.

Merlin decided to maybe grab another drink when he heard Arthur’s voice from the kitchen down the corridor. He walked towards it, but stopped when he heard another voice.

“Come on, Arthur, we both know you and Merlin isn’t going to last.” Merlin recognised Sophia’s voice, and he couldn’t help the sick feeling in his stomach that arose. He edged forward and his view of the kitchen through the open door increased.

Arthur was leaning back against the counter in a relaxed position, facing away from Merlin. Sophia was standing in front of him, twirling a brown lock with her fingers.

“I don’t know anything like that,” said Arthur.

Sophia wrinkled her nose. “He’s not even attractive. Seriously, for a rebound—”

“Don’t talk about him that way,” Arthur said firmly.

Sophia shrugged. “Let’s not talk about you and Merlin then.” She edged forward, the distance between her and Arthur decreasing. “Let’s talk about us.”

“There is no us,” Arthur said, but even to Merlin his voice sounded uncertain, as if he was thrown off balance by Sophia coming so close.

“Oh, Arthur,” Sophia breathed, “there’s always going to be an us.”

Suddenly Merlin felt like he was eavesdropping on an intensely private conversation (which to be fair, he kind of was). Sophia was so close to Arthur… Merlin turned away, not wanting to see anymore. For some strange reason, it bothered him to look upon that.

He walked quickly back down the corridor, hoping to find the bathroom where he could get some quiet, when he bumped into someone. They stumbled back, but thankfully managed to right themselves before they fell.

“Gwaine,” Merlin said in realisation. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking—”

“Don’t worry about it, mate.” Gwaine winked, an easygoing grin on his face. “No harm done, eh?”

“Well, it looks like you dropped some of your drink,” Merlin observed.

“Not an issue,” said Gwaine cheerily. “I’ll just get some more. Here, come with me.” Merlin didn’t have much of a choice because Gwaine grabbed Merlin and pulled him to the table where the drinks where. He offered Merlin one, who shrugged and accepted.

“I’ve not seen you all night,” Gwaine commented. “You having fun?”

“Yeah,” Merlin said, though it didn’t sound very convincing. Gwaine just smiled.

“Where’s the boyfriend?”

“Oh, he’s…around.” Merlin gestured vaguely. He didn’t like the sympathetic trace in Gwaine’s smile. It was almost as if he knew Arthur was talking to Sophia; which as Arthur’s teammate, he might.

“I’m glad that you found someone, though,” Gwaine said easily. “Did Arthur also get one of your letters?”

“Gwaine!” Merlin hissed, looking around. “Not so loud.”

“Sorry,” he said, but his smile didn’t look very apologetic. “But was he?”

“Well, yes,” Merlin admitted. “It’s how we got talking.”

“It’s a shame Arthur beat me to it.” Gwaine sighed. Merlin gaped at him.

“But—but—you said that—” Merlin started to exclaim. Gwaine cut him off with laughter.

“Relax, Merlin, I’m messing with you. I’m glad for you, really.” Gwaine looked at him slyly. “What do you say we dance for a bit?”

Merlin remembered the whispers going around school that Gwaine was an incorrigible flirt. Indeed, he’d said as much to Merlin when he told he wasn’t the type of person for a serious relationship. Merlin just never thought he’d be the one being flirted with.

“I don’t want to dance,” Merlin said, horror creeping into his tone at the thought of embarrassing himself in front of all these people.

Gwaine shrugged, slinging an arm around Merlin’s shoulder and pulling him towards the sofa. “Let’s just talk then. I always thought we’d be good mates.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Merlin asked, bemused.

“Not enough,” Gwaine tells him in a serious tone. He half-pulls, half-drags Merlin into a sitting position on the sofa. A few people glanced at them, laughing. Merlin shuffled slightly so he wasn’t partially-sitting on Gwaine’s lap.

“So tell me, Merlin,” Gwaine said. He looked at Merlin expectantly.

“Uh…tell you what?”

“Tell me why I don’t see you at these parties.”

“They’ve never really been my thing.”

Gwaine shrugged. “That’s a shame. It’s nice seeing you here. You don’t give a man much chance to get to know you, do you?”

“Are you flirting with me?” Merlin asked, trying not to laugh.

“No,” Gwaine said. Merlin looked at him. “Maybe,” he amended. “Bad habit. But I really do want to be friends.”

Before Merlin could respond, he heard Arthur’s voice from down the hall. “Merlin,” Arthur said loudly, striding towards them. “I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

Merlin doubted that very much, considering a few minutes ago he had seen Arthur and Sophia together. Nonetheless, he turned to Arthur and put on a smile. “I’ve just been talking to Gwaine.”

Arthur looked at Gwaine, sitting on the sofa with his arm around Merlin. He might’ve been imagining it, but he could’ve sworn Arthur’s face darkened with displeasure at the sight. “I can see that.”

“Hey, mate,” Gwaine said cheerily. “Nice boyfriend you’ve got here.”

“Gwaine,” Arthur greeted him, although his tone wasn’t very friendly. He turned to Merlin. “Shall we go? I was thinking I should drop you home now.”

“Sure,” Merlin agreed, thinking he had spent enough time here. Gwaine whined.

“Come on, Merlin, we only just got talking.”

“I’ll see you at school,” Merlin assured him, “when you’re a little less drunk.” Arthur helped him up, pulling him away from Gwaine. “Bye!” Merlin called behind his shoulder. Gwaine just grinned.

To his relief, soon Merlin was outside of the house and going to the car. He was looking forward to being home in his pyjamas…although he wouldn’t tell Arthur that.

He got in the car, Arthur opening his door for him, the gesture undercut by the displeased look on Arthur’s face. He remained silent as he started to drive the car.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, Arthur spoke. “So you’re friends with Gwaine?”

Merlin shrugged. “I guess. I think he’s nice.”

“Don’t you think people will start assuming things about our relationship if you’re wrapped around him?” Arthur asked bluntly.

“Wrapped around him?” Merlin looked at him in confusion. “He put his arm around me. It was just friendly.”

“Nothing’s just friendly with Gwaine,” Arthur muttered.

“Why do you care?” Merlin shot back.

“Because,” Arthur said, his tone heated, “people will start questioning our relationship if you’re off with some other guy!”

“Off with some other guy?” Merlin repeated, his tone dangerously low. Arthur had the grace to look regretful about that comment.

“I didn’t mean it like that, just—”

“I know exactly what you meant,” Merlin snapped. He didn’t appreciate Arthur grilling him about his behaviour when he was the one who had been inches away from Sophia in the kitchen.

There was another minute of silence. Arthur once again broke it. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I honestly didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

They’d arrived at Merlin’s house. Arthur turned off the engine and turned to Merlin with puppy dog eyes, his blue eyes apologetic. _Damn those eyes_ , Merlin thought.

“It was a jerk thing to say. I know you came out of your comfort zone tonight, and I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful—”

“It’s okay,” Merlin eventually relented. Arthur seemed to relax before him.

“Good. I’m glad you came tonight. You did really well, I appreciate it a lot.”

“’S’okay. It was in the contract.”

“Still, I’d hate to think you had a miserable time.”

“I didn’t,” Merlin said truthfully. “I mean yeah, parts of it weren’t great, but overall, it wasn’t bad.”

“I knew you’d love it,” Arthur said, smiling widely. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“I’ll see you around, you prat.”

“Well, yeah, we are going out, remember?” Arthur said mockingly.

“Don’t make me regret it, Pendragon.” Merlin opened the car door and got out. He walked to his house, waving at Arthur as he opened it.

Suddenly Arthur’s window rolled down before Merlin made it to the door. “Wait, Merlin,” he called after him. “I was wondering if you wanted to meet up tomorrow? After my football match, I mean. At _The Dragon’s Café_?”

Merlin smiled. “Are you asking me out?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Well we are dating,” he reminded him. “So?” Arthur’s tone was casual but there was something hopeful in his eyes.

“Sure,” Merlin said finally, his smile spreading. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Arthur.”

“See you tomorrow, Merlin,” Arthur said, before winking and then driving off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys liked that, if you did please let me know in a comment <3 And if you didn't...well, maybe let me know why in a comment? Haha 
> 
> Hopefully next chapter will be soon but updates will probably be less frequent as I get busier. You readers are always my motivation though, so thanks to anyone who is reading!!


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